Looper mechanism for sewing machines



Jan. 28, 1936.

HACKLANDER LOOPEIR MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Nov. 20, 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet l 3&5 MJMWWZL 28, 1936- H. HACKLANDER LOOPER MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Nov. 20, 1933 '4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 28,1936. H HACKLANDER 2,029,233

LOOPER MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Nov. 20, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 3 37g J2 l 1! a] Q I g? .96 HI" 5 0 6 J L90 I 2-9 7!:: i '2 I 24' w/ .26 1

Jan. 28, 1936. HACKLANDER 2,029,233

LOOPER MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Nov; 20, 19s: 4 Sheets-Shet 4 r 5% KWL WJQ Patented Jan. 28, 1936 UNITED FFICE LOOPER MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES Application November 20, 1933, Serial No. 698,891

10 Claims.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in a looper mechanism for sewing machines and more particularly to the means for mounting and operating a thread carrying looper which permits of disconnecting the looper from its actuating means so that it may be moved to a position more accessible for threading.

An object of the invention is to provide an operating means for a looper movable in a path inclined to the line of feed and from a point in rear of the needle to a point in front of the needle as it enters the needle thread loop, which actuating mechanism permits said looper to be disconnected and. moved to a position in front of the needle path where it is more readily accessible for threading.

A further object of the invention is to provide a looper mechanism of the above type wherein an actuating member is yieldingly moved laterally for locking engagement with an actuated member so that when said actuating member is manually shifted laterally, it will be disengaged from the actuated member, thus permitting the looper to be moved to a position for threading.

In the drawings which show by way of illustration one embodiment of the invention:

Fig. l is a view in plan of a. portion of a sewing machine embodying the improvements.

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the looper mechanism and the actuated means therefor.

Fig. 2 is a view showing more or less diagrammatically the arrangement of the needles and Ioopers relative to each other.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the same, the bed being shown in section.

Fig. 4 is a detail in section showing the supporting post on which the actuated and actuating members are mounted and the means whereby they are yieldingly held interengaged and locked for movement together.

Fig. 5 is a side view of the parts shown in Fig. 4, with the parts interlocked for operation.

Fig. 6 is a View similar to Fig. 5 but showing the parts as disconnected so that the looper may be moved to a position for threading.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view on the line ll of Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view on the line 8-8 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 5, but showing the spring for moving the looper to its threading position;

v Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 9, but showing the looper in its forward or threading position, and

Fig. 11 is a sectional view on the line I l-Il of Fig. 9.

The invention as shown is applied to a multiple needle machine having a plurality of loopers, one for each needle. The machine includes a bed 5 plate I, on which is mounted a supporting frame 2. The throat plate of the machine is carried by this supporting frame. The cloth plate is also carried by this supporting frame and surrounds the throat plate. Operating through the throat plate is a feeding mechanism including a plurality of feed dogs 3. These feed dogs are carried by a feed bar 4, pivoted to a yoke 5 which is oscillated by an arm 6 attached to a crank on the end of the main actuating shaft 1. The feed bar is raised and lowered by a cam on this shaft and thus it is that the feed dog is moved into engagement with the fabric and moves the fabric in the direction of the arrow indicated at 8 in Fig. 1.

The machine includes a plurality of needles set abreast or at right angles to the line of feed. Cooperating with each needle is a looper. The loopers are indicated at 9 in the drawings and the needles at 9a. These loopers 9 are carried by a looper carrier l0. Each looper is a thread carrying looper and the shanks of the loopers are clamped to the looper carrier by suitable set screws l l. The looper carrier is integrally connected with a sleeve l2 which is fixed to the shaft l3. This shaft I3 does not oscillate but has an endwise movement in brackets l4 and I5 attached to a base plate I6, which in turn is secured to the bed I. Depending from the sleeve I2 is an arm I! having a rectangular head which is guided between the bars l8 and ISa so that the looper is prevented from lateral movement as it is moved back and forth.

The shaft I3 is given a reciprocating endwise movement by means of a link l9, which is pivoted at 20 to a lug 2| carried by the sleeve l2. It is also pivoted at 22 to an actuated member or lever arm 23. This lever arm 23 is formed integral with a sleeve 24. The sleeve 24 is mounted on a supporting post 25 attached to the bed, said post is provided with a shoulder 26 and the sleeve rests on this shoulder. The sleeve is free to oscillate on the post. Also mounted on the post 25 is a sleeve 21 carrying .an arm 28. This sleeve 21 and arm 28 form the actuating member for imparting movement to the actuated'lever arm 23. The sleeve 24 is provided with an upwardly projecting lug 29 which is adapted to engage a recess 36 in the sleeve 31. The side faces of the lug 29 are tapered and the side faces of the recess are similarly tapered so that the lug will the feed and the operation of the needles.

snugly fit within the recess, as clearly shown in Fi 5.

A spring 3| encircling the post bears against a head 32 at the upper end of the post and against the-sleeve 21. This spring yieldingly forces the sleeve 21 downward into contact with the lug 29 on the sleeve 24. As shown in the drawings, the head 32 of the post is the head of the screw which is threaded into the post. It may, however, be otherwise formed. The purpose of this threaded connection is to permit the head to be removed for the assembling of the parts on top of the shoulder 26. It is noted that when the lug is seated in the recess, the side walls of the lug make contact with the side walls of the recess so that any oscillations in the actuating member 28 will be positively imparted to the actuated member 23. This provides a means whereby the looper will be positively moved forward and positively retracted during the operation of the machine.

The actuating member 28 is provided with a slot 33 and a ball stud as may be adjusted along said slot to different set positions. An eccentric strap 35 is connected to the ball stud and cooperates with an eccentric 36 on the main actuating shaft 1. The looper actuating mechanism, so far as it moves the looper back and forth and the arrangement of the loopers relative to the needles and the feed, form no part of the present invention per se, but are shown, described and claimed in the application of Harold J. LeVesconte filed November 6, 1933, Serial No. 696,889.

The present invention has to do with interengaging devices between the actuating and actuated members which permit the disconnection of the loopers from the actuating mechanism so that they may be moved to a position where they are readily accessible for threading. In the present machine the eyes of the loopers move from a position in rear of the needles to a position in front of the same and at the opposite side of the feed. When the needles are all the way up and the loopers retracted, they are back beneath the throat plate and not readily accessible. The operator, however, by lifting the sleeve 21 against the action of the spring 3 I, can disengage the lug 29 from the recess 30 and this will permit the operator to move the looper support, that is, the shaft l3 forward to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 2 and the full line position shown in Fig. 3.

This renders the loopers more accessible for threading. When the loopers have been threaded, all the operator needs to do is to force the looper support 13 rearward and this will bring the lug 29 around into register with the recess 30 and. the spring 3| will automatically couple the parts together. When the lug 29 is fully seated in the recess '30, then the actuating member is connected to the actuated member so as to impart movements to the looper in proper timing with In other words, the loopers are disconnected from their actuating means, but the connection to the same-may be very quickly established and when established the parts are in their proper timing.

In Figures 9 to 11 there is shown a slightly modified form of construction. The supporting post 25, the sleeve 24 and lever arm 23 are similar to the parts described above and function in precisely the same manner. The sleeve 21 and the arm 28 constituting the actuating member for the looper are likewise of the same construction -as that described'above and function in the same manner. In addition to the features which have been described, there is a spring 35a. This spring 35d encircles the sleeves 24 and 21. The lower end of the spring is bent at an angle as indicated at 36a and extends into a hole 37 formed in the sleeve 24. The upper end ofthe spring is likewise bent at 38 and extends into a hole in the upper'sleeve 21. This anchors the ends of the spring. The spring is applied with an initial torsional stress and normally tends to move the sleeve 24 in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed from the top of the stud 25. When the sleeve 21 is lifted, this torsion spring will automatically turn the sleeve 24 and shift the loopers forward to a position convenient for threading. After the loopers have been threaded, all that is necessary for the operator is to push the arm 23 back, and this will bring the latching members into position where the spring 3| will cause them to be engaged.

It is obvious that changes in the details of construction and the arrangement of the devices for connecting the loopers to their actuating mechanism, may be varied without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. It is also obvious that while the invention is described as applied to a multiple needle machine, it may be used in connection with a single needle machine.

Having thus described the invention, What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a sewing machine a feeding mechanism, a needle, a thread carrying looper, a carrier for said looper, a support for said carrier mounted for reciprocation in a line at an acute angle to a needle, a thread carrying looper, a carrier for 3 said looper, a support for said carrier mounted for reciprocation in a line at an acute angle to the line of feed and means for reciprocating said support including an actuated member connected to said support, an actuating member, said actuated member having a supporting sleeve mounted 'for oscillation on a supporting post, said actuating member having a supporting sleeve mounted for oscillation on said post, one of said sleeves having a lug projecting therefrom, the other sleeve having a recess adapted to receive said lug, said sleeves being movable laterally relative to each other on said posts for engaging anddisengaging said lug with said recess and a spring bearing on said sleeves for yieldingly forcing said sleeves toward each other.

3. In a sewing machine a feeding mechanism, a needle, a thread carrying looper, a carrier for said looper, a support for said carrier mounted for reciprocation in a line at an acute angle to the line of feed and means for reciprocating said sup port including an actuated member connected to said support, an actuating member, said actuated.

other on said post for engaging and disengaging said lug with said recess and a spring bearing on one of said sleeves and said post for yieldingly forcing said sleeves toward each other, the side walls of said lug being inclined toward each other at the outer end of the lug and the side walls of said recess being similarly shaped for aiding in the nesting of the lug in the recess.

4. In a sewing machine a feeding mechanism, a needle, a thread carrying looper, a carrier for said looper, a support for the carrier mounted for reciprocation, means for reciprocating said support including a lever arm connected to said support, a sleeve carrying said arm, a post having a shoulder on which said lever arm is mounted for oscillation with said sleeve resting on said shoulder, an actuating arm, said actuating arm having a sleeve mounted on said post for oscillation and endwise movement thereon, a spring surrounding said p-ost and bearing at one end against an abutment on the post and at its other end against said sleeve carrying the actuating arm,

one of said sleeves having a laterally projecting tapered lug and the other sleeve having a recess adapted to receive said lug for connecting the actuating arm to said lever arm for reciprocating the looper support, said actuating arm being movable along said post against the action of the springfor unseating the lug from the recess to permit the looper support to be moved for positioning the loopers for threading.

5. In a sewing machine a feeding mechanism, a needle, a thread carrying looper, a carrier for said looper, a support for said carrier mounted for reciprocation in a line at an acute angle to the line of feed and means for reciprocating said support including an actuated member connected to said support, an actuating member, means whereby said actuating member and said actuated member may be connected and disconnected by a lateral movement of one relative to the other, yielding means for normally holding said members connected, and a spring connecting said actuating member to said actuated member and operating when said members are disconnected to automatically move the looper to a position for threading.

6. In a sewing machine, a feeding mechanism, a needle, a thread carrying looper, a carrier for said looper, a support for said carrier mounted for reciprocation in a line at an acute angle to the line of feed and means for reciprocating said support including an actuated member connected to said support, an actuating member, said actuated member having a supporting sleeve mounted for oscillation on a supporting post, said actuating member having a supporting sleeve mounted for oscillation on said post, one of said sleeves having a lug projecting therefrom, the other sleeve having a recess adapted to receive said lug, said sleeves being movable laterally relative to each other on said posts for engaging and disengaging said lug with said recess and a spring bearing on said sleeves for yieldingly forcing said sleeves toward each other, a torsional spring surrounding the sleeve of the actuated member and the sleeve of the actuating member and having its ends connected, respectively, to said sleeves, said spring operating when said lug is disengaged from said recess to move the looper to a position for threading.

7. In a sewing machine, a feeding mechanism, a needle, a thread carrying looper, a carrier for said looper, a support for said carrier, means for operating said support for causing said looper to move into and out of the needle. thread loops, means whereby said looper support may be disconnected from its operating means, said support being movable when disconnected from its operating means to a position for rendering said looper accessible for threading, and a spring for shifting the looper to threading position when released from the operating means.

8. In a sewing machine, a feeding mechanism, a needle, a thread carrying looper, a carrier for said looper, a support for said carrier, means for operating said support for causing said looper to move into and out of the needle thread loops, means whereby said looper support may be disconnected from its operating means, said support being movable when disconnected from its operating means to a position for rendering said looper accessible for threading, and a spring for shifting the looper to threading position when released from the operating means, said disconnecting means being constructed so as to automatically connect the looper support to the operating means when the looper is manually returned to normal operative position.

9. In a sewing machine, a feeding mechanism, a needle, a thread carrying looper, a carrier for said looper, a support for said carrier, means for operating said support for causing said looper to move into and out of the needle thread loop, means whereby said looper support may be disconnected from its operating means, said support being movable when disconnected from its operating means to a position for rendering said looper accessible for threading and means operating automatically when said support is disconnected from its operating means to render said looper accessible for threading.

10. In a sewing machine, a feeding mechanism, a needle, a thread carrying looper, a support for the thread carrying looper mounted for reciprocation, means for reciprocating said support including an actuated member connected to the support, and an actuating member, said actuated member and said actuating member having a cooperating lug and recess for connecting said members so that the movements of the actuating member are imparted to the actuated member, one of said members being movable relative to the other to disengage said lug from said recess and permit the looper carrier to be moved to a position for rendering the looper accessible for threading, said lug and recess when the looper is positioned for threading being out of alignment.

HANS HACKLANDER. 

